Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.5333.

A number of research analysts have commented on BBWI shares. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $33.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Bath & Body Works from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $20.00 target price on Bath & Body Works in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Bath & Body Works in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Bath & Body Works

Here are the key news stories impacting Bath & Body Works this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded BBWI from “strong sell” to “hold,” a change that can attract buyers given the stock’s low valuation metrics and recent decline. Zacks Research Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Levi & Korsinsky announced the filing of a securities class action on behalf of BBWI shareholders, signaling formal litigation alleging investor harm tied to disclosures across the class period. Deadlines for seeking lead plaintiff roles are being set. Levi & Korsinsky Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm and multiple national plaintiffs’ firms (Bragar Eagel & Squire, Pomerantz, Faruqi & Faruqi, Bernstein Liebhard, etc.) have issued notices encouraging investors to contact them and to file for lead‑plaintiff roles by March deadlines — a coordinated wave that increases the likelihood of consolidated litigation and legal costs. Rosen Law Firm Notice
• Negative Sentiment: Bleichmar Fonti & Auld and other firms highlight that the suits follow a sharp multi‑day stock drop (reported as ~24% in some notices), asserting potential securities‑law violations by the company and certain executives — these claims, if consolidated, could prolong uncertainty. BFA Law Notice
• Negative Sentiment: Several smaller notices (Gross Law Firm, DJS Law Group, Schall, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman, Kessler Topaz, etc.) repeat similar claims and deadlines — the volume of notices increases headline risk and could pressure the stock if investors fear regulatory or settlement exposure. Representative PR Notice

Bath & Body Works Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE BBWI opened at $22.57 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.24. The firm has a market cap of $4.62 billion, a PE ratio of 6.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.51. Bath & Body Works has a twelve month low of $14.27 and a twelve month high of $41.87.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Bath & Body Works had a negative return on equity of 47.35% and a net margin of 9.50%.Bath & Body Works’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.49 EPS. Bath & Body Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.870- EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.700- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Bath & Body Works will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Bath & Body Works Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Bath & Body Works’s payout ratio is currently 24.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lucy Brady acquired 3,470 shares of Bath & Body Works stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.40 per share, for a total transaction of $49,968.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 17,482 shares in the company, valued at $251,740.80. The trade was a 24.76% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Stephen D. Steinour bought 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.86 per share, with a total value of $99,562.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 48,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $715,880.50. This represents a 16.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 33,513 shares of company stock valued at $500,442. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bath & Body Works

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Bath & Body Works by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,080,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,120,000 after purchasing an additional 733,000 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Bath & Body Works by 2.2% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,861,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $150,991,000 after buying an additional 123,648 shares during the period. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 42.7% during the second quarter. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC now owns 5,409,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,081,000 after buying an additional 1,619,276 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Bath & Body Works by 2,204.1% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,174,370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $133,292,000 after buying an additional 4,949,796 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,921,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,790,000 after acquiring an additional 718,642 shares during the period. 95.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bath & Body Works Company Profile

Bath & Body Works, Inc is a leading specialty retailer focused on personal care, home fragrance and complementary products. Through its flagship Bath & Body Works brand, the company offers a diverse assortment of shower gels, lotions, fragrance mists, candles and home fragrance items. Its product portfolio also includes the White Barn Candle Co range of premium scented candles and diffusers. Bath & Body Works serves consumers through a combination of brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce platforms, delivering seasonal collections, limited-edition releases and signature scent lines.

Founded in 1990 as part of Limited Brands (now L Brands), Bath & Body Works opened its first store in New Albany, Ohio, and quickly expanded across the United States.